The life of Damon Dash appears to be an epic triumph to some, a Shakespearean tragedy to others. It depends on where you’re standing when you look at him. After speaking with the hip hop mogul turned entrepreneur and filmmaker, I can tell you Dame Dash’s story is more nuanced and complex; and is still being written.
Dash hopes his new film, Honor Up, a semi-autobiographical story about the code of street honor, executive produced by Kanye West, and starring Dash, Nicholas Turturro, Michael Rispoli and Cam’ron; will give audiences an authentic portrait of who he is beyond the media’s checkered narrative. He tells me the unwavering code of honor depicted in the movie has informed every choice he’s made in his adult life.
A kid from Harlem, who lost his mother in his youth, Dash quickly took on a hustler’s mentality, adopting the OG street code which propelled him from promoting nightclubs and rap artists to reaching the apex of the music industry with the success of he and Jay-Z’s Rock-A-Fella records label, and the urban lifestyle brand, Roc-A-Wear. It was Dash’s unwavering vision and tenacity, and his loyalty to artists he believed in, that launched the careers of Jay-Z, Kevin Hart, Kanye West and his ex-wife, fashion designer, Rachel Roy.
Since splitting from Jay-Z and dissolving Roc-A-Fella records, he’s been painted by the entertainment industry as an incorrigible and unruly outsider; a man who wouldn’t drink the Kool-Aid or fall in line with Hollywood or music industry politics. As Dash made clear to me during out conversation, he refuses to ever bow down to corporate demands, and therefore chooses to self-fund his many projects, from film and art to fashion.
After years of personal and professional heartbreaks, Dash found an unwavering ally in longtime love and business partner, Raquel Horn. Horn is Dash’s creative muse and collaborator, while Dash is Horn’s mentor and idea facilitator. Together, the two have launched Dame Dash Studios, Dash Diabetes Network, their Poppington fashion line, and the beginnings of an independent movie studio. Damon Dash is a man in his creative renaissance…and in love.
TME: Tell me about the most influential people in your life…birth to present day?
Damon Dash: My mother was a big influence in my life. She passed away when I was fifteen. I would say Muhammad Ali was a big influence on my life, my OG Daniel (Dash’s childhood mentor, Daniel Jenkins, the inspiration behind Dash’s new film, Honor Up) is one of the most influential people in my life from when I was younger. That was one of the reasons why I made the movie, Honor Up.
TME: Your mom passing when you were fifteen, how did it impact who you became?
Damon Dash: It made me fearless. The one thing I was afraid of up until I was 15 was that my mother would die, and then she did. It made me very aware of my mind, in that, if you worry about something it usually realizes itself. I try not to worry about anything. Because my mother spoiled me, and she wasn’t there to spoil me anymore, it made me the business savage that I am. I wanted to maintain that lifestyle.
At the time, my pops wasn’t going to be able to give me that, so I had to do it myself. I think in a strange way, if my mom was still here I wouldn’t have made the history that I’ve made, because nothing would have felt so urgent. Someone can teach you how to survive, but you really don’t get those skills until you have to. [Her passing] made it where I had to, and she taught me well.
TME: You refuse to take a paycheck. You’re someone who has to have ownership in everything you do. Speaking for myself, I can say there was a time in my life when I asked myself if I was for sale, or if I was not for sale. Can you recall a defining moment when you asked yourself that same question, and determined that you were not for sale?
Damon Dash: I’ve been a street entrepreneur since I was very young, since my mother died, because I had no choice. I’ve never had a boss. I’m from Harlem and I think I’m cooler than everybody, so it would be hard for me to have someone telling me what to do. It’s not about working for somebody, because I always have equity. I have something, and then I may need to take it to another level, so there would be a business relationship or a partnership. But I would always walk away from certain partnerships, because I didn’t like the moral value of that person. It’s offensive when someone that I don’t respect presents me with an opportunity to work for them and tries to control me. I don’t even know what that means, working for someone else. It’s not a mathematical equation that makes sense to me.
TME: How do you define God?
Damon Dash: You can’t define God. That’s how I define it. It’s undefinable. I can’t fathom God; just one entity controlling everything. I have no idea, and the 90% of our brain that we can’t use or access, we can’t really fathom what that is. Maybe if I had access to more of my brain, I could begin to fathom that.
TME: You don’t have a sense of knowing, or belief about it?
Damon Dash: If there is a God, it’s a woman.
TME: And why do you say that?
Damon Dash: Why wouldn’t it be that way? Men are stupid. God could never be a man, because men are too insecure. There’s wars, we fight. It’s illogical and stupid. That’s all insecurity. I don’t think God would have those characteristics.
TME: What did you learn about love from your time with Aaliyah?
Damon Dash: I learned exactly how happy love can make a person. It was a feeling that I never knew existed before. What it did teach me is to recognize love, and to appreciate love. It also taught me never to mess with an artist, because they’re always on the road. You never see them. The more you love them, the more you miss them. It made me appreciate what I had in that moment, and it made me recognize love with my girl Raquel (Dash’s girlfriend and business partner, Raquel Horn). I knew that feeling. It was familiar to me, because I felt that with Aaliyah.
TME: Describe Aaliyah’s character; the person you knew her to be.
Damon Dash: Aaliyah loved life. She loved to laugh. She was color blind, a great soul, a ridiculous amount of swag and great taste. And those were the same exact qualities I saw in Raquel. For me, the greatest thing about Aaliyah was that we were both from somewhat of an extreme circumstance, you know, urban, in the hood. And we both had such a desire for things that were so unhood. But in those environments that were unhood, we would still have that hood swagger and we could laugh at things. Aaliyah and I used to spend a lot of time laughing at the corniness of life. We both found people’s insecurities very funny.
TME: Would you like to see a movie made about your beginnings, during the rise of Roc-A-Fella Records, and that time in your life?
Damon Dash: That’s inevitable, whether I make it or somebody else does. I am very aware and clear of what I have done, and my impact on this world. They’ve already made Aaliyah’s story, and I was in that. Let’s say they don’t do my story, everyone else’s story that I’ve been a part of, I’ll be in there. At the end of the day, I like to control my likeness, so I’ve already started that process. This movie, Honor Up, is about me and my ideals growing up.
TME: What is your opinion about how the media has cast you over the past decade? What have they gotten right, and what have they gotten wrong?
Damon Dash: I’ve been able to manipulate them exactly the way I’ve wanted to. I’m very aware that an independent person like me that does things on his own, that my success would mean other people’s failure. Everyone that’s getting robbed, and everyone that’s doing the robbing, would fail. I’m the guy that doesn’t rob and does everything honorably. If I can show that I can do things honorably, that would make other people need to do things honorably. The way they were portraying me in the newspapers, it wasn’t very intelligent.
TME: Do you think you’ve been caricaturized?
Damon Dash: They never showed Damon Dash the businessman; Damon Dash, the single father raising his son alone from the time he was eight years old; Damon Dash living with Type 1 Diabetes; or the man who’s running all these different companies.
TME: Where did the negative portrayals of your character come in?
Damon Dash: I didn’t want to do Rock-A-Fella anymore. I wasn’t trying to just do music. I didn’t want to be typecast. I wanted to do fashion. I wanted to do things that were multicultural, and I wanted to run around the world. And I knew walking away from Jay Z, that all Jay-Z fans were going to start with me and try to get at me. I know that controversy sells papers. I needed everybody to think I wasn’t doing well so nobody would ask me for anything. But all those years, I was owning Rachel Roy, a $75 million company. I was running around the world, I had galleries and things like that. But Dame was under the radar. And they left me alone. I always thought it was funny that they made me the underdog. I could have been nice. I could have worked with these people that have no morals and no values and spent their money instead of having to keep re-investing my own money.
TME: But you walked away.
Damon Dash: I decided freedom was priceless, happiness is priceless. I needed to raise my daughters. It wasn’t conducive for my daughters in a hip hop environment, because you have a bunch of young, insecure, aggressive men. I realized that with the internet there is no buffer, and I can tell the truth whenever I want. No one can stop me. Whoever wants me will come find me, and they’ll see the truth.
TME: Let’s talk about your new movie, Honor Up. You wrote and directed this movie, you play a central character, and you put up your own money to make it. How long has this story been in you, wanting to come out?
Damon Dash: I always knew I would tell this story, but what made me want to tell it now, and in this way, was a moment when I was hearing a lot of things about people I was close to from my past, that contradicted all our morals and values. It bugged me out, because these were the people I respected the most. I just couldn’t believe it, and it hurt. So I made a movie about it. I want people to understand my morals and principals, why I don’t look the other way and who taught me.
TME: This movie, Honor Up, will help people to better understand you and what makes you tick.
Damon Dash: I think people need to know the rules. Maybe people aren’t living by them now, and that’s the reason I kind of stay in my bubble. Maybe now people will understand why I don’t compromise, why I won’t bend over for a dollar. Because I was taught the right way by certain kind of people. With this movie, I want people to hear the voice that taught me, from the voice that taught me. When you see this movie, you’re going to see my real OG, the voice I heard when I was fifteen (Dash is referring to his childhood mentor, a man by the name of Daniel Jenkins).
TME: A big theme in Honor Up is the street code of not being a snitch, not talking to the police. Let’s set up a scenario. In December 1990, John Gotti was arrested by the FBI and NYPD. He was indicted on multiple counts of racketeering, extortion, jury tampering and murder. He strongly believed in the oath of silence he took as a “made man” with the Gambino family. He didn’t provide any information to the government; he didn’t strike a deal with prosecutors. John Gotti went away for life and he died in prison. Weighing everything: family, life, everything… had that been you, would you have stuck to the street code like he did, and gone away for life?
Damon Dash: If you’re gonna do the crime, do the time, period. Two people sign on to a contract, whether everybody else’s principals are different, you sign on to a contract, and you have to abide by it.
TME: You do know that a lot of guys don’t abide by it.
Damon Dash: That’s why I made the movie. That’s why I got out of the streets. I knew that at some point I would have to kill, or I’d have to go to jail and I would have to do the time.
TME: You would not make a deal or rat anybody out. You would go away for life.
Damon Dash: Yeah. If I did the crime? Yeah. That’s the game. You think I would be so low as to put one of my friends in jail? Someone that I hung out with, I know their kids, I know their girl? Just so I don’t go to jail, I put him in jail? Nah, I couldn’t live with myself. If you make a conscious choice to do something, you got to stand behind it. Now if you’re a civilian, and let’s say someone accused you of doing something you didn’t do, you never hustled and all that other stuff, you didn’t sign on to that game. That’s a different story. But for someone that signed on to the game, you know you’re not supposed to be doing that.
TME: Is there a spiritual component to your beliefs?
Damon Dash: I understand spirituality. I read The Seat of the Soul [by Gary Zukav]. That book changed my life. That was actually the connection between Aaliyah and me.
TME: Did you read that book together?
Damon Dash: All of those books, yes. And I made my whole crew read that book. Me and Aaliyah, that was our connection. We read all of those books. That book scares me, because when she died I had all those books around me. I had one book called, When You Lose Your Soulmate right on the bed. I was so into that, that I almost felt like it was to prepare me for her death. If I hadn’t read those books, I don’t think I would have dealt with it the same.
TME: Have you read, Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr. Brian Weiss? That’s my favorite one.
Damon Dash: Yes, I did. I read so many of those books. That’s what got me through [Aaliyah’s] death. But I had so many of those books scattered around my room. At every bed post I had something related to the soul and the evolution of it. I think I’m about at a deep purple right now.
TME: (Laughs) Your crown chakra is fully activated.
Damon Dash: I’m floating.
TME: Kanye West executive produced your movie, Honor Up. The two of you go way back to when you launched his music career. What was different about working with Kanye on a film, versus musically?
Damon Dash: This time I’m the artist and he’s the businessman. Whereas, I used to showcase his art, he’s now showcasing mine. He used to play his records for me. Now, I was coming back and playing cuts of the film for him. It was a total role reversal. It was a great example of the OG being happy that someone younger than you can have more power than you with certain things, and can help you. You build people, so they can build you. I wasn’t expecting him to do all that he did. You never know what Kanye’s going to do, but I know that he’s inspired by art. It was the first time that, instead of me helping somebody, somebody was helping me. He gets it. Some people don’t understand that helping people makes you the happiest. The happiness that Kanye got from helping me, it was contagious.
TME: Can you see you and Kanye West forming an ongoing partnership with a film production company?
Damon Dash: We just started one, that’s what we’re doing! You know me; I don’t play. I hit you with flurries. I’m prepping to shoot my third movie right now. This film was the first time, to my knowledge, that I have ever seen Kanye put his name on something that he can’t control. The fact that he acknowledged my art in that way, shows that this is some real art. Kanye is not going to co-sign something corny. But the respect level was there, which is what I appreciated the most.
TME: What do you say to people who feel that a movie like Honor Up, which does depict street violence, is perpetuating a stereotype, or that it’s a negative influence on your younger fans?
Damon Dash: Any movie that’s about war, you have to show the war to learn from it. Whoever looks at it like that, isn’t from the street. They don’t understand. I’m not trying to preach to the converted. That was my reality, and that’s what I learned from. That’s what smartened me up. I hope that people can see every element in this movie. The story is authentic. There’s so many different artistic levels. It’s not just bullets. It’s about the message. It’s art, and I think anyone who really looks at it will recognize it as art.
TME: When you wake up in the morning and your feet hit the floor, which is foremost on your mind, making money or making art?
Damon Dash: Making art. Never making money. I think money is overrated. That’s why I spend so much of it. I don’t even want to hold it. It makes people go crazy. I wouldn’t do anything for money that I wouldn’t do for free.
TME: A lot of people may not know that you are a Type 1 Diabetic and have been since you were 15 years old.
Damon Dash: I made it public a long time ago, but people don’t talk about those kinds of things. I always thought it was important to bring awareness to it, because I’ve had it since I was fifteen and I have noticed all the misconceptions that come with it. It’s a 24-hour disease. And for me, as a diabetic, I always want to hear about another diabetic’s story. I know if they are winning, that I can win. And there are a lot of celebrities that have it, and they don’t want to talk about it. I’ve never understood that. They think it’s a weakness, whereas I think it’s a strength.
I want people to know that every great thing I’ve done, every time I’ve made history, it’s always been as a diabetic. We started a network called the Dash Diabetes Network. We talk about diet, working out, mental well-being and just being healthy, overall. When you’re a diabetic you have to live a healthy lifestyle. You have no choice. I’m a vegan. Well, let me say I eat a plant-based diet. I can’t say I’m completely vegan, because I still own a leather jacket or two and I have leather seats in my car. Rocky (Dash’s nickname for his girlfriend and business partner, Raquel) has created a vegan handbag as part of our Poppington fashion line.
TME: Let’s talk about your network, Dame Dash Studios. It features your films, your radio show, musical projects, your Poppington fashion line, Dash Diabetes Network and your personal travels around the world. It’s like a VIP ticket to all things Dame Dash. Tell me about the vision for this studio.
Damon Dash: At the end of the day, the direct to consumer relationship is the new wave, and it keeps me independent. I can stay uncensored and I can say what I want; can’t nobody fire me. I can do whatever I want, and above and beyond anything, I can pass it down to my children. I can pass it on to my wife. Raquel is wifey for lifey. She is the one who inspired me to embrace my artistic nature after watching me make everybody else famous. Falling in love, embracing art, that’s why I say that I’m purple right now (referring to the color associated with spirituality), because I’m elated. I’m happy. I just love the fact that I’m being artistic, that I’m being unapologetic about my point of view and fearless about speaking on my art.
Damon Dash’s movie, Honor Up, hits select theatres and VOD February 16, 2018.
Rating: 9/10
A Certain Scientific Railgun is an electrifying anime that mixes superpowers with science fiction in a city brimming with secrets. It’s part of the Toaru (A Certain) franchise, which also includes A Certain Magical Index, but it stands out by focusing on the everyday lives, struggles, and mysteries surrounding some of Academy City’s most intriguing characters. Railgun captures the blend of friendship, science, and action, wrapped in a plot filled with suspense and heartfelt moments.
The story revolves around Mikoto Misaka, a powerful “Level 5” esper known as “Railgun” for her ability to shoot electricity like a railgun. Set in Academy City, a futuristic place dedicated to advancing human potential, the series follows Misaka and her friends—Kuroko Shirai, a teleporting “Judgment” officer; Ruiko Saten, a Level 0 with no esper abilities; and Kazari Uiharu, a cheerful tech enthusiast. The story flows between slice-of-life moments and intense action arcs, especially as Misaka digs deeper into Academy City’s dark side.
Each season introduces distinct plot arcs, like the “Level Upper” arc, where a mysterious device temporarily boosts students’ powers with dangerous side effects, and the “Sisters” arc, which reveals a shocking experiment involving Misaka’s DNA and a massive cloning project. The story is well-paced, taking viewers from lighter episodes that build relationships and humor to episodes packed with suspense and powerful emotional twists.
The animation by J.C. Staff is fantastic. Academy City feels vibrant and alive, with futuristic buildings, labs, and tech that set a high standard for a sci-fi city. The fight scenes are beautifully animated, especially when Misaka uses her electricity powers, creating brilliant sparks and electric blue streaks that are visually stunning. The art style balances the serious with a light, polished touch, keeping the show visually appealing across action-packed and everyday scenes alike.
The heart of Railgun is its cast. Mikoto Misaka is a strong, complex protagonist who’s both a powerful esper and a kind, sometimes awkward teenager. Her determination to protect others, combined with her own vulnerability, makes her a compelling character. Kuroko adds humor and loyalty as her supportive friend and partner, often lightening tense moments. Saten and Uiharu, while less powerful, bring warmth and relatability, especially as they grapple with what it means to be “Level 0” in a society that values power.
One of the most memorable aspects of Railgun is how it balances power dynamics and character development. Unlike many shows focused solely on high-powered heroes, Railgun values its entire cast, showing how even ordinary people play vital roles in challenging corruption and protecting the city.
A Certain Scientific Railgun dives into themes of friendship, power, and ethics, especially the moral cost of scientific advancement. The series raises questions about the value of one’s abilities versus character, and how people handle failure or the absence of power. Misaka’s personal journey, especially in the Sisters arc, highlights the responsibilities that come with power, as she learns her DNA was used to create clones exploited for a deadly experiment. This arc adds emotional weight to the series, as Misaka battles guilt, anger, and a desire to right the wrongs done in her name.
The soundtrack in Railgun is energetic and fitting, enhancing the tone of every scene, whether it’s a high-stakes battle or a quiet moment among friends. The opening themes, especially “Only My Railgun” by fripSide, are iconic and perfectly capture Misaka’s fierce, independent spirit. The background music subtly enhances each scene, adding a layer of suspense, excitement, or warmth as needed.
Final Thoughts: A Certain Scientific Railgun is a must-watch for fans of science fiction and action anime with strong character development. It manages to deliver both powerful story arcs and entertaining slice-of-life moments, giving viewers a sense of attachment to Academy City and its residents. The storylines are not only thrilling but thought-provoking, making you question the impact of scientific progress on human lives.
While it helps to know a bit about the Toaru universe, Railgun stands on its own with an engaging story and cast that will appeal to newcomers and seasoned fans alike. With thrilling fights, heartwarming friendships, and an electrifying main character, A Certain Scientific Railgun is a standout in the genre. If you’re looking for a series that’s equal parts action, heart, and intrigue, this is it.
Sweetpea is a new dark comedy series created by Kristie Swain and adapted from a novel series by CJ Skuse. The series stars the ethereal goddess that is Ella Purnell (Fallout, Yellowjackets) using her actual English accent!
Purnell plays a young woman whose name is not actually Sweetpea, though she is very much a wallflower. Though even Wallflower might have too much gravitas, Rhiannon (Purnell) is treated by those around her like a weed. She is stepped on and ignored by everyone except her dad and pet chihuahua. Many have argued that Purnell is just ‘too pretty’ to be that abjectly ignored by everyone. However, Purnell is an amazing actress who plays the washed-out, doe-eyed, shrinking ‘sweetpea’ so convincingly.
Rhiannon was bullied heavily in school which led to her developing trichotillomania (a hair-pulling disorder) which ultimately caused bald patches on her scalp. She still keeps an unconvincing brunette wig in a drawer in her bedroom. Rhiannon’s dad is constantly encouraging Rhiannon to stand up for herself. Unfortunately (light spoiler!) Rhiannon’s Dad dies from his illness in the first episode, leaving her alone in the world.
Rhiannon returns home to the large empty house she once shared with her dad. After yet another tragic incident Rhiannon looks at her life, her thirst for revenge is obvious. Particularly against her main school bully Julia Blenkingsopp (Nicôle Lecky).
Rhiannon sees Julia as having a perfect life and didn’t peak in high school “like bullies are supposed to do!”. When Rhiannon returned to work as an admin assistant for a local paper, not only did none of her colleagues notice her absence but they didn’t acknowledge her return. The only person who appears to talk to her is her boss Norman played by Jeremy Swift (Ted Lasso) who condescendingly calls her “sweetpea” and demands tea.
Rhiannon’s mental state declines enough for her to finally confront Julia in a club. Julia and her friends laugh at Rhiannon which brings memories of school back and anxiously tugging at her hair. This leads Rhiannon to commit a horrifying yet liberating crime when leaving the club leading to a whole new way of expressing herself.
What I Liked:
I enjoyed watching Rhiannon’s confidence grow throughout the series. Purnell herself spoke about the production of subtlety added makeup to subconsciously influence the change in her. Rhiannon transformed from a shrinking girl to a hip-swaying, go-getting career woman. Yet its clear there is a lot of mental turmoil within Rhiannon. Purnell (2024) jokes that she actually “got kinda jacked” due to the tension she held in her body whilst suppressing Rhiannon’s rage. Purnell also comments on how freeing it was to let it all out which Rhiannon does many times and is just as satisfying for the audience!
Initially, I found every character rather one-dimensional and stale compared to Purnell. However, as the show progresses most characters become multifaceted, particularly Julia. The narrative of the show really makes you question your own morals and sense of justice. You find yourself making excuses for Rhiannon and almost cheering her on when you really, really shouldn’t.
I also enjoyed how the show explores the victim complex. Is Rhiannon really a victim or has she taken on this mantle and lived her life accordingly? Sweetpea expertly plays with the shades of grey in the ideas of what makes someone a bully and what makes someone a victim.
Sweetpea fits in perfectly in the genre of British black comedy. Scenes like when Rhiannon is clearing out her chest freezer and then climbs in herself to see if it could potentially fit a body. The door of the freezer almost closes on her but she catches it just in time. This scene perfectly captures just what kind of character Rhiannon is.
I also liked how the character’s houses were used as metaphors for their lives. The home Rhiannon shared with her father is messy and cozy yet in desperate need of TLC and repair much like Rhiannon herself. You can tell it’s a well-loved home with a long history much like Rhiannon and her father’s relationship. In stark contrast to Julia’s fiercely stylish and minimalistic home which she shares with her fiancé. It’s sleek and modern yet ultimately empty with little sign of love.
The opening credits and music choices are also fire.
What Could Be Improved:
Like many others, I didn’t quite believe someone as beautiful as Purnell would be completely ignored by the general public. It did look at times like they were relying on drab clothing and too light foundation to make her look mousey. However, as stated, Purnell’s performance does save it.
The main ‘love triangle’ (if could even call it that) was a bit forced. Calam Lynch’s portrayal of Rhiannon’s colleague ‘AJ’ was a bit too enamored with Rhiannon with no real build-up. However, I found myself really enjoying Jon Pointing’s portrayal of ‘Craig’ and wishing his arc had been explored more.
I really wanted the show to lean more into the exploration of ‘abuser’ and the ‘abused’ and take it to a deeper level. Maybe in series 2?
All in all, I enjoyed this traverse through Sweetpea’s world. I am interested to see where they go with it in the future.
Three and a half stars.
It’s been called the scariest movie ever. Or the grimmest, bleakest, and most brutal. The post-apocalyptic drama; Threads, has only been aired three times, its premiere in 1984 (appropriate year), 1985, and 2024 for its 40th anniversary. Threads has also been made available on streaming services. The anniversary has stirred up memories from its initial release which has been dubbed ‘the night Britain did not sleep!’
Threads is a BBC-produced TV movie which explores what would happen if a nuclear bomb was dropped on the English city of Sheffield.
The film is structured like a documentary; with a voiceover speaking to the audience in a clipped, received pronunciation BBC English. The narrator speaks over what is possibly stock footage of a spider weaving its web, or its threads. The narrator explains how in urban society everything connects and how we all rely on one another’s skills to survive. Ominously the narrator points out how fragile these threads are.
THREAD 1 – FAMILY
The film then cuts to our two leads Ruth (Karen Meagher) and Jimmy (Reece Dinsdale). These two young lovebirds are in a car over looking the Sheffield countryside. A fighter jet flies overhead as Ruth remarks how “peaceful” it is. We follow Ruth Beckett and Jimmy Kemp as they navigate an unplanned pregnancy.
The film plays like a ‘kitchen sink drama’. I have heard ‘kitchen sink’ described as an ‘anti-Hollywood’ where everyone has their natural teeth and skin texture. The film looks similar to a British soap opera.
Whilst the narrative at this point just skirts around somewhat boring, it is clear something is playing out globally in the background. We see it on newspaper covers and hear snippets on radios and TVs. There is a situation unfolding in the Middle East with tensions building between the Soviets and the USA. Troops are mobilized and more importantly, nuclear warheads are moved.
And then it happens.
THREAD 2- SECURITY
At almost 50 minutes in, the bomb finally drops. The literal bomb that is. The omnipresent narrator tells us it is 8.30 am in the UK meaning it is 3.30 am in Washington DC; Western response will be at its slowest.
The bomb scene is incredibly powerful. This is where the ‘kitchen sink’ realism really comes into its own. It looks like any other British high street but people are running around screaming looking for shelter amidst the blaring siren. Children are being scooped up from their prams and the panic is palpable. Infamously one businesswoman is staring up at the blooming mushroom cloud rising above the city, the camera pans to see urine running down her trouser leg and pooling at her 80’s white heels.
There is constant screaming as buildings explode, windows smash, and curtains catch fire.
Text informs us that 210 megatons in total fell on the UK with an estimated 2.5 – 9 million casualties.
THREAD 3 – SOCIETY
Ruth exits her parents’ destroyed house to look for Jimmy. In her old neighborhood she is greeted by a horrendous sight. The whole street looks like that of The Blitz; with dead pets and both parents and children looking for each other. A shell-shocked woman covered in ash asks Ruth; “have you seen our Mandy?” she is proffering what looks to be a child’s coat, as if Mandy forgot her coat when going outside to play. A charred corpse with perfect white intact teeth (probably dentures) is embedded into a building. A staring woman is clutching the burnt remains of her infant.
After this, the horrific scenes come thick and fast.
Food has become the new currency and food stores are protected by force. It is here we see the figure who has haunted many viewers nightmares. The armed traffic warden with the bandaged face. Played by an extra who actually was a traffic warden in real life!
Hospitals are overrun with the injured. The harried staff are using sheets as bandages and table salt to disinfect contaminated water. Doctors resorting to amputation with no anesthetic.
THREAD 4 – CHILDREN
Ruth gives birth to a healthy child. A little girl named Jane. Ruth gives birth alone in a barn and has to bite through the umbilical cord. Later, on Christmas Day no less, a group of survivors gathers around a fire in the barn looking like a macabre nativity scene.
But what sort of world has Ruth brought her daughter into? We are told it is ten years later and society has returned to medieval times with the nuclear winter and UV damage affecting the crops. Jane does not call Ruth ‘mum’ only ‘Ruth’ and has no reaction when Ruth finally dies. Are the people in this society so profoundly broken by the sheer amount of loss and trauma that they can no longer form familial bonds? Has that thread been cut?
There is clearly little regard for human life anymore. Jane walks past three corpses hanging in the foreground paying them no attention. Is this a mass suicide or an execution? The corpses are also bare. Have people stolen their clothes to protect themselves from the harsh nuclear winter? Images such as these, shown for mere seconds can tell you so much about the situation.
THREAD 5 – LANGUAGE
In the second half of the film, there is barely any dialogue. Any words spoken by Jane and her peers are some strange form of pidgin English. Many fans have argued that language would not degrade that quickly. However, these children have been brought up by deeply traumatized parents (if they had parents at all). People barely speak anymore and death and disease are extremely common. Is it any surprise that mankind has been brought down to its most basic level? Or is this the cognitive effects of growing up around high levels of radiation?
Many fans comment how Threads gives no hope. But there appears to be a rudimentary school system-cum-workhouse with Jane and her peers watching an old educational video. Although the last scene definitely takes away from the tepid hope we are shown.
SO IS IT SCARY?
Well….as I had heard about the film through cultural osmosis I knew what to expect. I appreciate that during the 80’s, living in the fog of the Cold War, a nuclear holocaust was looking more and more likely. Having a film at that time showing exactly what it would look like if it were to happen in a typical British city would be horrifying.
With the film being set up as a documentary speaking to some unknown in the future, it is interesting when you are watching from the future. Before COVID I would think it was so unrealistic; the way a lot of people didn’t take the crisis seriously until they were practically underneath the bomb. Now I know differently. Everything is fine until it’s not and we don’t tend to tackle a crisis until it is right on our doorstep. Like Mr Kemp with his trousers down on the loo as the bomb went off, we are so ill-prepared. And all the systems (or threads) in place that you thought would protect you, such as the government, are just ill-equipped.
It is an extremely well-done film especially when I learned the budget was £400,000 (about 1.2 million today). The acting is superb and I can see why it’s such an iconic film. In today’s current climate Threads is more relevant than ever. Would highly recommend it.
Five Stars.
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